Korean Cold Seaweed Cucumber Soup is a typical summer side dish. The Korean name for this dish is called "Ooi miyuk nangguk (오이미역냉국)".
You can make a different variation by using cucumber alone or seaweed alone in this cold soup but I like to combine them both all in one dish. Cool and refreshing, this Korean cold seaweed cucumber soup can cool down the summer heat at the end of the day with your meal.
I love the soft texture of seaweed that contrasts the crunchiness of cucumber. The ...

There is a famous market in Seoul called "Gwang-jang market (광장시장)". You can find all sorts of items that are related to the food. I personally have never been there, so I can't tell you much about it. However one of the famous food from the Gwang-jang market is this mini seaweed rice rolls called "Mayak Gimbap (마약김밥)". Mayak means narcotic. They named it narcotic because these little mini rolls are so addictive once you taste them.
Mayak Gimbap is mini seaweed rice rolls served with soy ...

My kids eat homemade roasted seaweed (gim-gui, 김구이) like snacks. The seaweed sheets are slightly salty, crisp, and delicious. I used to buy seasoned roasted seaweed from the store in bulk until I realized that homemade roasted seaweed is much healthier.
Seaweed is so good for you. Because of its great health benefits, more and more people are eating seaweed these days. You can easily buy packaged roasted seaweed at the store. But do you know that it is very easy to make homemade roasted ...

Have you heard of Korean "Mook (묵)"?
Mook is basically jelly made with various type of starch. There are acorn mook (dotori-mook, 도토리묵), mung bean mook (chungpo-mook, 청포묵), and this olbangge mook (올방개묵) that I am using. If you've dine in Korean restaurant many times you provably have seen similar jelly side dish.
A friend of mine, whom I got to know via online blogging in Korea, sent me some of her olbangge mook powder along with other Korean vegetable seeds that her mother sent to ...

No, this is not a Christmas tree!!!
But I love how it mimics the 'winter wonderland' feeling. This is a simple Korean style seaweed salad with radish (파래 무 무침, parae moo muchim).
There are several different types of seaweed in Korea. I think most people know of the dried form of seaweed which you can easily find in many Asian stores. However, during the wintertime you might be able to find fresh kind, if you are lucky. This particular seaweed is like threads, quite thin. In fact, the ...

Everyone seems to like meatballs. I do, too.
I love my mother's meatballs. She mixes ground beef with finely chopped mushrooms, bell pepper, and garlic, then coat with flour and egg, and pan fry them in little oil. They are flavorful and so good with a bowl of rice.
Although my mom's meatballs are great the way they are, I wanted to take her beef meatballs and cover with delicious pineapple soy glaze to give a little twist. And the result is fantastic! ...

Today's recipe is very special one for me. Because this is the famous Chungmu Kimbap (충무김밥) from my hometown.
Most foreigners who enjoy Korean food provably tried Kimbap, the seaweed rice rolls stuffed with various vegetables. I bet not many of them have tried or even heard of "Chungmu Kimbap" though. Chungmu Kimbap is popular seaweed rice rolls among local Koreans. There are many franchise restaurants in Korea that specialize this particular kimbap. ...

I like surprises. I found a packet of salted fresh seaweeds sitting lonely in the fridge. I bought it a while ago thinking of making a pot of soup, then forgot about it until I discovered the packet stuck in the back of my fridge. What a pleasant surprise! I, of course, had to rescue these lovely sea plants to come to alive.
Seaweeds are great. I mean they are mega healthy food. Asians have enjoyed seaweeds in our diet for who knows how long? They are algae and grow in the ocean so ...

One rainy morning of spring, 1974...
Mrs. Jeon, the midwife, rushed into our house in the crack of dawn.
My mother was having a labor; she was expecting her 5th child. My aunt and the neighborhood ladies came soon after to help out. Hours later she gave a birth to a chubby baby boy.
She was 41 years old. ...